Question 7: Should journalists be free from constraints and law in order to ensure that their articles are objective and fair?

We agree that Malaysia's journalists be free from constraints and law in order to ensure that articles are objective and fair. Malaysia associated democracy few years ago, but there is some politicians prohibit press to report some sensitive issues. And now, INTERNET is free for people, no privacy from the INTERNET. Journalists can free hand writing some issues and topics about politics and society.

When journalists duty as reporter, they have limited to writing on newspaper. As we know that journalists in Malaysia is following the rule of theory social responsibility. It means that journalist should serve public but at the mean time government also have a free space to control and as a watchdog. So in Malaysia, journalists are suppose to follow their code in order to do the report.

1. Respect for truth and for the right of the public to truth is the first duty of the journalist.

2. In pursuance of this duty he will defend the twin principles: freedom in the honest collection and publication of news; and the right of fair comment and criticism.

3. The journalist reports only in accordance with the facts of which he knows the origin. He will not suppress essential information or falsity documents.

4. He will use only fair methods to obtain news, photographs and documents.

5. Any published information which is found to be harmfully inaccurate he will do his utmost to rectify.

6. He will observe professional secret regarding the source of information obtained in confidence.

7. He recognises in professional matters, the jurisdiction of his colleagues only; he excludes every kind of interference by governments or others. (Nujstar,2010)

Although journalists should follow the code of ethics when they are doing reporting, but when they are writing an article, they have the right to write out what they want to express which is fair and objective. For example, most of the journalists are free hand writing articles through the INTERNET, and then the content is about expressing their feeling after they doing reporting. In the content, mostly is criticize the government, discuss the issues. Despite how ironic the words, the government still have no capability to arrest those journalists, that is because in the INTERNET, some of it is no privacy on it, everyone can access in, and then the government has less right to control it that is because web is through over the world.

As a conclusion, media is controlling by government, although there is shout democracy. But when you read through the newspaper, journalists are constraints by those law and government. However, there is another platform which is build for them which is INTERNET, journalists can post their articles on it and show his or her reader to read through and understand those news's source and the reporter's feeling. By the way, when they doing reporting, journalists must follow their codes in case when the trouble is exist in.